Notes: THE FUTURE BEGINS NOW!
Introduction:
– Sometimes we can become so bogged down in life that we don’t realise that with each new day comes a new start and new beginning.
– As a young man. I remember visiting my friend’s home. His mother had an embroidered artwork that hung at the end of the passage as you walked out of the house. I can’t remember the exact words, but it said something like this: ‘TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!’ This left an impression on me as a young man. At the time I was young and didn’t really take much notice, but yet it caught my attention, and has remained with me all of these years.
– How would we live if we realised that today was the first day of the rest of our lives?
– I am sure it would change our perspective and cause us to embrace the new day with renewed hope and strength.
– It would turn today into a new opportunity, and not just another day.
– It would make what we do today more significant, and perhaps encourage us to make a new start and to make better use of it.
– You see, your future begins now.
– This is a moment that God has given you.
– Grab it with both hands and make the most of it.
1. GOD HAS BROUGHT YOU THIS FAR
– God in His wisdom and plan has brought you to this point.
– Recognise His hand in your life.
– Psalm 139:16 ‘You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.’
– Never doubt the Lord’s deep and enduring love for you, even in the tough times.
– Always remind yourself that it is the Lord who has carried and sustained you.
– 1 Samuel 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up… He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’
– Perhaps you could just pause for a moment and remember what the Lord has done for you, and be thankful.
2. DON’T LET YOUR PAST HOLD YOU BACK
– One of the biggest hindrances to fully utilising our today, is our past!
– Our past comes with much baggage, and if we try to drag this baggage into the future, regardless of how precious it may be, it will hold us back.
– Your past is exactly that, your past.
– The beauty of the past is that it is over, and no one can change what happened there, but we can pause, look back for a moment, and then turn to look into the rising sunshine of today and all it promises.
– Isaiah 43:18-19 ‘Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.’
3. TOMORROW NEVER COMES!
– In our culture there is a phrase that is often used: ‘Tomorrow is another day!’
– The implication is that we don’t need to be concerned or under pressure, because there is always tomorrow.
– We can see tomorrow as another chance or opportunity to achieve what we did not achieve today.
– But the truth of the matter is that tomorrow never really comes.
– When tomorrow comes, it is another today, with its own tomorrow still lying ahead. Today is actually all we are sure of.
– Tomorrow is just another hope and another promise, of another today.
– For this reason, it is important to realise how important today is.
– Proverbs 27:1 ‘Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.’
4. EMBRACE THE NEW – PRESS ON
– Philippians 3:12-14 ‘I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’
– This ’embracing’ of the new and this attitude of pressing on, should be our quality decision and the choice of our hearts.
– Don’t resign yourself to more of the same. Don’t settle of less than God’s best.
– Say after me: ‘I believe that the Lord has great things in store for me. He has a hope and future that He has prepared for me. Today, I step away from the past and I embrace His new season, His new life and His purpose and plan for me! Amen’
5. WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?
1. Don’t waste your time on futile things.
– 1 Peter 4:2 ‘You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.’
2. Don’t depend on your own wisdom.
– Proverbs 19:20 ‘Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.’
3. Do not live in fear of the future.
– Matthew 6:34 ‘Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.’
4. Give life your best shot.
– Colossians 3:23 ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.’
5. Expect the best from God.
– 1 Kings 3:13 ‘And I will also give you what you did not ask for – riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!’
6. On a daily basis, step into the abundant life the Lord offers you.
– John 10:10 ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’
By: Andrew W Roebert
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